Sri Lanka Tourist Traps

  Smokers Room at the Ariport
by Maxus
 
  • Smokers Room at the Ariport
      Smokers Room at the Ariport
    by Maxus
  • That's far enough
      That's far enough
    by Maxus
  •   Tourist Traps
    by WStat
  • Galle Road, Aluthgama
      Galle Road, Aluthgama
    by WStat
  • Galle-Road, Aluthgama
      Galle-Road, Aluthgama
    by WStat
 
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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Smoking

by Maxus

Since 2006, there is no longer a duty-free allowance for tobacco products for foreign passport holders arriving at Colombo, if you get caught you will be charged Rs.6,000 per carton of 200 cigarettes. Apparently, they don’t mind a few 20 packets for personal use, you can no longer buy them at the airport on the way in.http://www.customs.gov.lk/duty_free.htm#nonVery few women smoke in Sri Lanka but lots of men do (their preferred brand is often yours) the government has imposed a ban on smoking in public places but the good news for smokers is that as of October 2011 there is still a smoking room at the airport (down behind ODEL). You can get all sort of cigs cheap (around Rs3500) from the beach vendors some people say ‘they don’t taste the same’ so they could be fakes but smokers I’ve travelled with have found them ok.

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Special Price

by Maxus

Ok, we are relatively rich while some Sri Lankan people remain poor so maybe I shouldn’t begrudge paying hugely inflated prices to enter tourist sites but I can’t help it, it irks me, we call it racism in my country and I wish they would find a more subtle way to overcharge me.This picture was taken at the Blowhole and unless it's the season don't even think about it!

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Stilt Fishermen

by Maxus

I hate to be dismissive about an important 'feature' but while the guy sits out on his stilt dangling his line in the water his colleagues wait on shore to collect money from the tourists who stop to take pictures. Whether these guys ever catch any fish is debatable, I’m assured by my Sri Lankan friends that its tourist they are really after and catching fish is at best a sideline. But hey, why not, it’s a living init and you wouldn’t get me perched on a stick for hours on end for a few hundred rupees.

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Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage

by Maxus

For some people, describing Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage as a tourist trap is a heresy and lots of travellers rave about what is one of the Sri Lanka’s major tourist attractions, so maybe its just me. I do not mind paying a massive tourist premium to get in or being charged extra to take my camera, I just did not like the place.I was told that Mahouts love their elephants and generally they do but the Mahouts at Pinnawela appeared much more interested in my money than in their elephants and I honestly did not see much in the way of care or concern for the animals. The close relationship between independent Mahouts and elephants elsewhere in Sri Lanka is much more evidentPinnawela Elephant Orphanage is about 90 km from Colombo en route to Kandy, you can get a train to Rambukkana where you can pick up a bus or even walk the 3 kilometres to Pinnawela. The train will be met by an army of...

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Touts and Scams

by Maxus

In tourist areas touts, aka 'beach boys' are a fact of life and they can be very annoying indeed, I have met people who have hardly left their hotel because of them. They are not usually dangerous but are often highly skilled in the art of separating tourists from their holiday cash and some will go to great lengths do it with all manner of cunning scams. The cleverest touts are difficult to distinguish from ordinary well meaning people and it is very easy to be taken in so be always on your guard and remember that while most people in Sri Lanka are happy to help a tourist they would not generally approach you directly unless you were obviously lost or in a dangerous situation. The simple rule is that people who engage you in conversation in a tourist area are probably out for your money, anyone who leads you into a guesthouse or even a shop is on commission and it is you who pays it....

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"beach boys"

by prazlin

beware of the "beach boys" , these guys try to bring you in tourist stores where they get a provision if you are going to buy the overpriced stuff there ! The locals are normally a little bit reserved so you will recognize these 'beach boys' very soon due to their pushiness.You meet them anywhere in Sri Lanka !

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sri lanka tours

by henriplesser

Hi You can do day excursion to kandy and possible to see mentioned place .it will take about 3-4 hrs drive to kandy .to see the bottled feeding at pinnawala elephant orphanage you must be there at 0915 morning session and 1315 at second session. If you need some contact detail of driver/guide in sri lanka I would like to recommend d.karnal de silva he is a nice person who having license issued by Ceylon tourist board. we had a fantastic time with him. Contact detail as follow.Email-karnal3@hotmail.comWeb-www.karnaldesilva.comThanks you,henri

Scams

by Jeananne

Although 99% of Sri Lankan people are honest and trustworthy, like everywhere else in the world there are some who are after the main chance. You may be approached by someone who says they recognise you from the hotel your are staying in( they will have done their homework!!) while you are on the beach or just browsing about the shopping areas. They will say something like they are on their way to the doctor or pharmacy or going to the train station and have lost their wallet en route and could you lend them some rupees ,which they will pay back when they go on duty at the hotel later that day or the next day .They will tell you their name and what time they will be on duty again.Needless to say you will never see them again. This has happened to me and to other people I know. That is not to say it happens all the time ,but it is worth remembering about it.,

Spice Garden No 25

by Lillylilly

We were taken here by our driver and it was a nice tour and massage at the end and although we are usually very aware of being fleeced on this occasion got fleeced big time.The potions and lotions were had vastly inflated prices on them and when told my selection would come to 119.00 i knocked them down to 80 - silly me i got my calculations wrong and on checking my visa found that £85.00 had been taken and there was not more than £10.00 worth of goods there. I priced these up locally and a bottle of lemon juice had a price on it of 5200 rupees with a label on it of low lipids. Take in all the knowledge and massarge at the end but dont buy or at least haggle down to a 10th of the price. Buy in the little local shops they are in better containers as well

Tip on Tips

by TotalRelax

We were made to feel uncomfortable by the agrresiveness with which some people sought tips from us for thier services. The avergare wage over there is something like $35 a month but but they will routinely demand tips in the region of 800 rupee (approx $8 for the most menial of tasks. Whilst this may not seem a lot of money we were warned on several occasions that we should not tip anything more than that as, if everyone did it, it would effect the local economy.

Tourist Attractions in Sri Lanka

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Reviews and photos of Sri Lanka attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Sri Lanka sightseeing.

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Tourist Traps: Cities in Sri Lanka
  1. Colombo Tourist Traps
  2. Kandy Tourist Traps
  3. Negombo Tourist Traps
  4. Nuwara Eliya Tourist Traps
  5. Hikkaduwa Tourist Traps
  6. Bentota Tourist Traps
  7. Galle Tourist Traps
  8. Unawatuna Tourist Traps
  9. Anuradhapura Tourist Traps
  10. Sigiriya Tourist Traps
  11. Sri Lanka Tourist Traps
  12. Beruwala Tourist Traps
  13. Dambulla Tourist Traps
  14. Pinnawala Tourist Traps
  15. Aluthgama Tourist Traps
  16. Matara Tourist Traps
  17. Kegalle Tourist Traps

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Questions and Answers

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Q:  Hello there. I need some advices about Sri Lanka. I'm going there in end of February till the beginning of March. one day in... 

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A: Missing out on Sigiriya Rock? You can find some tea plantations around Matale (between Dambulla and Kandy), but the 'real' tea plantations are in the hill country... 

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